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Old 12-15-2010, 08:50 AM   #1
mhs4771
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Banking while on the Road

Question for you Long Timers/Full Timers. Although we well probably never go full time, we are looking at long time. Already have several months scheduled for the coming season, and if all goes well this will be our last winter in cold and snowy Western NY. Anyway, my question is about using a bank that has branches/ATMs nation wide. Have set up to have SS checks direct deposited, but our present bank only covers a small area around the stick house. What bank or other arrangements do you use to obtain cash when on the road without paying all the ATM fees impossed by many banks if you don't use their ATMs?
Thanks for any and all replies/suggestions,
 
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Old 12-15-2010, 09:22 AM   #2
PatnRich
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Our bank has branches local to our stick house only. They are affiliated with Cirrus and Sum networks. When we need cash on the road we try to find banks that are are affiliated with those networks because the ATM fees are waived. This has worked well for us.

Rich
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Old 12-15-2010, 09:26 AM   #3
awaywego
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Michelle,

We spend several months away from home each year and do our banking on line. We use Wells Fargo because we have been with them for a long time and they have branches in a lot of states we travel in. If I was going to bank and travel Bank of America has branches just about every state. Some folks use their ATM debit card to buy places such as Wal-mart and get cash back. This way they do not have fees.
I am sure others will be along to add some other ways to bank on the road.
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Old 12-15-2010, 09:37 AM   #4
timandsusan
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Michelle,
Over the past 5 years, we have traveled as long as 4 months and do all our banking online. All our bills are automatically paid by our bank--we do not write any checks. All deposits from retirement accounts automatically go to our bank. To get cash we use the ATM's and sometimes we have to pay a use charge. All other transactions are charged to VISA that is paid in full each month. Everything works for us and I hope it will work out for you--there are to many great things to do on the road.
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Old 12-15-2010, 10:41 AM   #5
boylanag
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Our Credit Union has locations all over the US that we can use their ATMs with no fees. We go online to our CU and it will give us the ATMs we can use. Other than that, we use our debit card at Sams's Club, Walmart, or a grocery store and get "Cash back" with a purchase. We have purchased a dollar item to get $100 cash. That way, we can get cash wherever we are.
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Old 12-15-2010, 10:47 AM   #6
TheCoachPotatoes
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We use Bank of America. They have banks all over and ATM's places where they don't have banks. We have been very happy with them, however, we hardly ever have to go there. If we want, for example $100 in cash, we simply purchase something at WalMart (usually food items)and swipe card selecting Debit rather than credit, it will ask for your password and you can ask for $100 in cash beyond your sale. (I believe Walmart lets you get up to $200 extra even if your purchase is only a couple of dollars). Some stores limit you to $40 or $50.
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Old 12-15-2010, 11:45 AM   #7
CamillaMichael
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If your bank does not offer an online banking service, you may want to change to a bank that does offer that service...with online banking, your banking is pretty transparent...you can bank whether you are at "home," or on the road. Some banks, like ours (USAA), reimburses us atm machine fees, and as others have pointed out, you can obtain cash when you make purchases at many stores, like WalMart. Good luck!
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Old 12-15-2010, 12:04 PM   #8
mhs4771
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Thanks for the suggestions, I had forgot about the Wally World/SAMs and getting cash back. Yes our current Bank does have online banking, and yes we use it all the time. Utility bills are paid automatically from checking and everything else is also paid via online. We have checks that will last a life time as they're never used. So I guess we'll stay as we are and see how it works out as we are SAMs members plus BJ's and we do frequent Wally World too.

Thanks again and we hope to make it to some Rallys this coming year and maybe even Q in 2012.
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Old 12-15-2010, 12:11 PM   #9
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We are full time -- 10 years. We kept our bank in Iowa, changing our address on our accounts. We mail checks to the bank and all our income is direct deposit. We pay our bills on-line. We never use an ATM (unless we splurge at a flea market). We use our Discover Card when we purchase groceries and get up to $60 cash back. We never carry more than $100 at any time because we know we can get cash back with Discover Card.

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Old 12-15-2010, 02:30 PM   #10
richfaa
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We do everything online. We get pocket money at about any store. Our retirement checks and Disney checks are direct deposited. we have little occasion to use a actual bank.
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Old 12-16-2010, 12:55 AM   #11
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We have a Schwab account. With their debit card they refund all ATM fee's up to a fixed number of transactions per month. I think it is 10. Jim
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Old 12-16-2010, 04:23 AM   #12
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If you are a veteran look into USAA. They reimburse you for any and all ATM fees from anywhere, even those little rip off stand alone machines at convenience stores. They've got a great online banking system and if you have an iphone you can even deposit checks (up to $5000) by snapping a picture of it via the iphone USAA app.

I love 'em and they always have humans on the phone that say "Thank you for serving"; way better than "press 1 for........press 2 for...... press 3 for.......all our customer service agents (in east Asia) are currently out for tea, please leave a message and we'll get back to you sometime this month."
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Old 12-16-2010, 06:44 AM   #13
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We do everything on line and to get cash we do Cash Back at WalMart, grocery store, drug store, etc. On the rare times we need to use an ATM we try to use WalMart (their fee is less expensive) or one of the Credit Unions associated with our CU. We had a refund check and just mailed it to the CU.
Happy trails...............
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Old 12-17-2010, 01:57 AM   #14
CamillaMichael
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by pbahlin

If you are a veteran look into USAA. They reimburse you for any and all ATM fees from anywhere, even those little rip off stand alone machines at convenience stores. They've got a great online banking system and if you have an iphone you can even deposit checks (up to $5000) by snapping a picture of it via the iphone USAA app.

I love 'em and they always have humans on the phone that say "Thank you for serving"; way better than "press 1 for........press 2 for...... press 3 for.......all our customer service agents (in east Asia) are currently out for tea, please leave a message and we'll get back to you sometime this month."
Agree...
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Old 12-30-2010, 09:34 AM   #15
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Our bank is a regional bank we've used for 30 plus years. I can use them to pay bills online or to send me cash, should I so choose. They give me postage-paid envelopes and deposit slips. I send in a deposit (no mailing cost to me) and they send me a recieipt, new deposit slip, new postage paid envelope.

But when we need cash we just use our bank's debit card at Walmart and some other grocery stores. I think Target, too. We get cash back to whatever their limit is. Walmart is $100 per transaction (so go through the line 2 or 3 times if needed. I do.) Target, I think, is $200 but that might be wrong.

Our income is electronically deposited. We also have our credit cards set to automatically draft our checking account for the full amount every month. Any other payments could be set up this way, too.
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Old 12-30-2010, 11:53 AM   #16
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by CamillaMichael

Quote:
quote:Originally posted by pbahlin

If you are a veteran look into USAA. They reimburse you for any and all ATM fees from anywhere, even those little rip off stand alone machines at convenience stores. They've got a great online banking system and if you have an iphone you can even deposit checks (up to $5000) by snapping a picture of it via the iphone USAA app.

I love 'em and they always have humans on the phone that say "Thank you for serving"; way better than "press 1 for........press 2 for...... press 3 for.......all our customer service agents (in east Asia) are currently out for tea, please leave a message and we'll get back to you sometime this month."
Agree...
I'm a retired veteran and when I called them to ask if the insured people living full time in their RVs, they said no! Now they keep hounding me with phone calls wanting to sell me some type of insurance.

Orv
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Old 03-24-2011, 01:41 PM   #17
pbahlin
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If you're a vet, try USAA. They have terrific online services, reimburse all ATM fees from any source at all, online transfers to and from any other bank, and you can deposit checks by snapping a picture in the USAA Iphone or Droid application.

You won't need a branch at all, ever.
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Old 03-28-2011, 11:50 AM   #18
deerrahn
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We have the Local Credit Union that we deal with. We pay all our bills online. Never let someone automatically take money from your account. Our bills automatically come up on the computer. Beleive it or not, soome people are greedy. Walmart and such ways are a good way to get extra money. Another way to get money from the bank without getting ripped off with an ATM card, Go to a local bank, wherever you are, and ask for a CASH WITHDRAWL. They will need your Debit Card and SS number and ID. After all this is verified you get your money and the info that you give them. They do not keep the info on the SS number. All this info gives them what they need and YOU DO NOT EVER NEED TO PAY AN ATM FEE. Try it. Have a Good Day
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Old 03-28-2011, 02:13 PM   #19
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Wells Fargo bought Wachovia, so you can use Wells Fargo (or Wachovia) ATM at either branch.

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Old 03-28-2011, 03:02 PM   #20
stiles watson
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I use Wells Fargo/Wachovia, but recently I have also opened an account with Ally Bank, a totally online bank. They pay way more interest on checking than WF and four time the CD rate than WF. Checking is free and so are all ATMs. Interest rates are so meager now, so I started trying them out. It has worked so far, so I am beginning to shift my accounts over with a plan to only keep a skeleton account at Wells Fargo.
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